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Rookie Larkin Wants To Play With Howard — In Dallas

DALLAS (AP) — Shane Larkin wants to lead the public relations campaign to bring free agent center Dwight Howard to the Dallas Mavericks.

The Miami point guard said Monday he hasn’t quite figured out the sales pitch. He just knows this: He’d love to run the pick and roll with one of his favorite players growing up in Orlando as the son of Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin.

There’s one tricky part. The Mavericks liked Larkin enough at No. 18 in the draft to quit trading down in their quest to clear salary cap space for a run at Howard. But they might have to deal Larkin to lure Howard from the Los Angeles Lakers.

Larkin says he wants to be in Dallas but understands “the NBA’s a business.”